LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has called for promotion of locally-manufactured products to achieve economic self-reliance, stressing that the government must reduce industrial production costs while improving the quality and competitiveness of Pakistani goods.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day Mera Brand Pakistan exhibition at Expo Centre Lahore on Friday, Hafiz Naeem said Pakistani products were of good quality, but the government needed to bring down the cost of industrial production to the minimum possible level.
He said Pakistan’s huge domestic market of around 250 million people offered enormous potential for local manufacturers, but products needed to meet higher quality standards and remain affordable.
“The next step should be towards exports,” he said, emphasising the need to make Pakistani products competitive in international markets.
Hafiz Naeem congratulated the organisers of Mera Brand Pakistan, saying the initiative was not merely an exhibition but represented a broader vision of promoting alternatives to imported products.
He recalled that the initiative emerged during a period when Israel’s war on Palestine had triggered calls for a boycott of Western products. The question then arose about what products and brands could be used as alternatives, he said, adding the answer was not simply a boycott but the development and promotion of indigenous alternatives.
The JI Chief also stressed the need to address the problems confronting Generation Z, saying young people represented Pakistan’s strength and could neither be disappointed nor left alone.
Hafiz Naeem said young people needed to be brought into entrepreneurship and equipped with the skills and opportunities required to establish businesses and contribute to the economy.
He also linked high petroleum and electricity prices with the rising cost of living and called for measures to bring down energy and other input costs affecting businesses and consumers.
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol, speaking on the occasion, said the Mera Brand Pakistan exhibition, being held during the Independence Day celebrations, was a step towards reaffirming the resolve to make Pakistan economically invincible.
He said Pakistani businesses needed to move towards selling locally manufactured products in international markets, while serious measures were required to facilitate businesses and reduce the cost of doing business.
Saigol said the LCCI would continue taking initiatives for the promotion of Made-in-Pakistan products and stressed that strengthening local industry was essential for putting the country on the path to economic independence.
Progressive Group President Khalid Usman described Mera Brand Pakistan as a dream whose fulfilment lay in bringing about an industrial revolution in the country and expanding commercial activity in domestic markets.
The three-day exhibition was formally inaugurated by Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and LCCI President Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol, who cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.
Senior LCCI Vice President Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh, Abdul Wadood Alvi, Muhammad Ejaz Tanveer and other leaders of the Pak International Business Forum were also present on the occasion.
The exhibition, where around 200 stalls have been set up, aims to promote Pakistani brands and locally manufactured products while providing businesses an opportunity to showcase their products to consumers and potential buyers. The exhibition will continue till Sunday.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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